2005 CJLO Staff Picks
The thing with lists, especially year-end ones, is that they undercut the obsessive passion of the music lovers. There's no true way around it, as any discussion will eventually boil down to inane nitpicking. That's why CJLO, as a whole, does not have a Top Ten list based on votes or anything remotely objective. Instead, we're throwing together individual staff picks from our motley crew of DJs, not to represent anything else but their true love for this year's music (mostly). Remember, these are not your ordinary music fans; they are willing to trek on a weekly basis to the depths of NDG just to immerse themselves in the music that they love for one or two hours. This is out of love, not out of some misguided sense of loyalty to CJLO (I like to think that they would have the execs' heads on a stick outside of Loyola Lord of The Flies-style if given the chance).
Fraser McCallum: F-Train120, Tuesday Noon – 2pm
Albums
1. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
2. Broken Social Scene (Broken Social Scene)
3. Cuff The Duke (Cuff The Duke)
4. Live It Out (Metric)
5. La De Da (Joel Plaskett)
6. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
7. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
8. A Secret House Against The World (Buck 65)
9. No Pressure (Sharp Live Knives)
10. Demon Days (Gorillaz)
Gigs
1. Arcade Fire + Wolf Parade @Théâtre Corona, April
2. Metric + Lovely Feathers @Club Soda, October
3. Joel Plaskett + Peter Elkas @Main Hall, April
4. Broken Social Scene + Islands @Metropolis, October
5. Spoon @Club Soda, November
6. The Go! Team @La Tulipe, October
Darcy MacDonald: Homework, Wednesday 10pm – Midnight
1. Hell's Winter (Cage)
2. You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Atmosphere)
3. Late Registration (Kanye West)
4. Be (Common)
5. The Hear After (J-Live)
6. Year Of The Beast(C-Rayz Walz)
7. 1988 (Blueprint)
8. Fire and Glory (Kardinal Offishall)
9. Breakupdown (Ghislain Poirier)
10. Chapter Seven Instrumentals (Copperpot)
Antonella Fratino: The Siamese Libertines, Thursday 4pm – 6pm
Albums
1. Howl (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
2. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
3. You'll Rebel To Anything (Mindless Self Indulgence)
4. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
5. Wild Light (Mount Sims)
Songs
1. "Finding Out True Love Is Blind" - (Louis XIV)
2. "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement" (Broken Social Scene)
3. "Broken Drum [Boards Of Canada remix]" (Beck)
4. "Dare" (Gorillaz)
5. "Jessica Numbers" (the New Pornographers)
6. "You Are A Runner, I Am My Father's Son" (Wolf Parade)
7. "Luno" - (Bloc Party)
8. "Seven Days In Sunny June" (Jamiroquai)
9. "Red Receiver" - (Sons and Daughters)
10. "Fog" - (Wintersleep)
11. "Radio Caca" - (Jackson & His Computer Band)
Gigs
1. Thievery Corporation @Spectrum, May 19th
2. The Black Keys @La Tulipe, November 17th
3. The Dandy Warhols @Spectrum, December 2nd
4. Stereophonics + Augustana @Cabaret, May 15th
5. Mindless Self Indulgence @La Tulipe, June 3rd
Honourable Mention: The Shins @Spectrum, April 19th
Chris Coates: The Melting Pot, Tuesday 10pm – Midnight
Top 10 Joints
1. "Do Ya Thing" - (B.R. Gunna ft J Dilla)
2. "I Ain't Heard Of That [remix]" - (Slim Thug ft Jay-Z)
3. "The Ride" - (Oh No ft Medapoar)
4. "Hide Ya Face [EL-P remix] - (Prefuse73 ft EL-P and Ghostface Killah)
5. "Late" - (Kanye West)
6. "Albany" (Kev Brown)
7. "Lonely City" - (Specifics)
8. "Stay With Me" - (Platinum Pied Pipers ft Tiombe Lockhart)
9. "Fish Fillet" - (SA-RA Creative Project ft Pharoahe Monch)
10. "Pioneers" - (Bloc Party)
Top 5 Club Joints
1. "Gold Digger" - (Kanye West)
2. "Stay Fly" - (Three-Six-Mafia)
3. "Hate It Or Love It" - (The Game ft 50 Cent)
4. "I Ain't Heard Of That" - (Slim Thug)
5. "Big Ballin'" - (Paul Wall)
10 Names To Watch In 2006
1. Dabrye
2. Eternia
3. Cannibal Ox
4. Blackstar
5. B.R. Gunna
6. Raekwon
7. Count Bass D
8. John Robinson (f.k.a. Lil' Sci)
9. Jneiro Jarel
10. Lady Sovereign
Shaun Anderson: Losing My Edge, Tuesday 8pm – 10pm & Sunday 2pm - 4pm
1. Ta Det Lugnt (Dungen) -- slightly cheating, but whatever
2. LP (The King Khan & BBQ Show)
3. August (Elevator)
4. Porcella (Deadly Snakes)
5. Hypermagic Mountain (Lightning Bolt)
6. Medway Wheelers (Buff Medways)
7. For The Season (The Gris Gris)
8. Icki Baby (Intelligence)
9. Celebration Castle (the Ponys)
10. Let It Bloom (Black Lips)
Top Disappointments
Turbonegro - Party Animals
Total piece of crap record shit out by one of the best bands of the whole 1990s. A far, far cry from the glory days of Ass Cobra and the epic Apocalypse Dudes, the worst part about this album is not just that it's completely lacking in the monstrous riffs, bad-ass attitude and the incredible songwriting of virtually all of their previous albums to date, it's also painfully unfunny and ridiculously lame in subject matter as well. It's like as if the band had decided that "death punk" wasn't catching on, so they might as well just emulate The Darkness, Andrew W.K and the countless other shit-mongerers who have capitalized on their Apocalypse Dudes model of huge power pop songs mocking the excess and homoeroticism of glam rock and 80's hair metal. To go from having brilliant songs like "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker" to self-parodying garbage like "Blow Me (Like The Wind)" is not just embarrassing, it's fucking sad.
Coachwhips - Peanut Butter & Jelly Live at The Ginger Minge
Really disappointing final album from one of the most exciting bands of the last few years. The Coachwhips took blues-inspired garage rock and mutated it into spastic artcore with often brilliant results, but this record fails to even hold a candle to the group's three previous albums. It wastes a great recording and production job by Weasel Walter, as well as the epic "I Made a Bomb", an incredible track that may have been the best thing they ever did and the only song on the whole album with any staying power beyond the first couple of listens.
Usaisamonster - Woah
This NYC two-piece have really thrown me in a loop in the last year or so. The first half of this album is amazing, full of absolutely bone-crushing melodies and crazy prog time signature changes galore. Then inexplicably, the whole last half of the album becomes a lo-fi folk record of strange, incoherent Native American-inspired chants. Say what? They pulled the same routine during their live show the last couple of times I saw them, leaving many scratching their heads and prompting a few more to make an early exit. I'm all for their intense politicizing of Native American folklore; I just wish they kept it in the context of delivering a whole album of what they do best.
Human Eye Human Eye
An embarrassing attempt at art-damaged psychedelic rock brought to you by Timmy Vulgar, the man responsible for the late great 90's Michigan-based punk 'n' roll band, the Clone Defects. Unlike the Defects, who had giant hooks and great songwriting, Human Eye sound like a band that's just pissing ideas in the wind, hoping that the stream doesn't blow back in their faces. If you can find a single catchy hook or riff on this whole record that sustains itself for more than two seconds, then you've got much better ears than me.
Mikaela: Lessons In Lo-Fi, Friday Noon – 2pm
Albums
1. I Am A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
2. Cripple Crow (Devendra Banhart)
3. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
4. Tanglewood Numbers (Silver Jews)
5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
6. In The Reins (Iron & Wine/Calexico)
7. Superwolf (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney)
8. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
9. A River Ain't Too Much To Love (Smog)
10. No Rest For Ghosts (Minus Story)
Songs
1. "Hold On" - (Minus Story)
2. "Hope There's Someone" - (Antony & the Johnsons)
3. "Feel Just Like A Child" - (Devandra Banhart)
4. "Werewolves Of London" - (Magnolia Electric Co.)
5. "Bloody Motherfucking Asshole" - (Martha Wainwright)
6. "I Cannot Have Seen The Light" - (Magnolia Electric Co.)
7. "Losing My Edge" - (LCD Soundsystem)
8. "For Real" - (Okkervil River)
9. "Casimir Pulaski Day" - (Sufjan Stevens)
10. "Suburbs With You" - (Herman Düne)
Katie Seline: Elegantly Wasted, Wednesday 4pm – 6pm
1. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
2. Misty Medley (Kiss Me Deadly)
3. Pretty In Black (the Raveonettes)
4. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
5. X Amounts (Controller.Controller)
6. Skeleton Jar (Youth Group)
7. Goodbye Friend Hello Lover (Hexes & Ohs)
8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
9. In Case We Die (Architecture In Helsinki)
10. Live It Out (Metric)
11. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
12. Arular (M.I.A.)
13. Some Cities (Doves)
14. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
15. Young For Eternity (The Subways)
Johnny Suck: Turn Down The Suck, Monday 1:30pm – 3pm
1. Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
2. Kill Rock 'n Roll (Vulgar Deli)
3. III (Acid King)
4. To Walk A Middle Course (Kylesa)
5. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
6. Strength Through Vengeance (A Perfect Murder)
7. How The Great Have Fallen (Raging Speedhorn)
8. Get Some! (Nashville Pussy)
9. In The Arms Of God (Corrosion Of Conformity)
10. The Unquiet Sky (Indian)
Mike Bresciani: The Lonesome Strangers, Monday Noon – 1:30pm
Albums
1. Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Eels)
2. Set Yourself On Fire (Stars)
3. Some Cities (Doves)
4. Picaresque (the Decemberists)
5. Plans (Death Cab For Cutie)
6. Guero (Beck)
7. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
8. Waiting For The Sirens' Call (New Order)
9. Howl Howl, Gaff Gaff! (The Shout Out Louds)
10. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
Gigs
1. Stars + Donkey Heart @Art En Majuscule, September 30th
2. Doves @Spectrum, September 13th
3. Beck @Bell Centre, September 28th
4. Bright Eyes @Spectrum, January 22nd
5. Tegan & Sara @La Tulipe, February 19th
6. Motörhead @Metropolis, April 30th (loudest show I've ever seen)
7. Death Cab For Cutie + Youth Group @Spectrum, October 16th
8. Magnolia Electric Co. + Grand Buffet @La Sala Rossa, August 7th
9. Stars + Jason Collett @La Tulipe, December 19th
10. Kings Of Leon @Club Soda, October 2nd
Top Gigs Missed
Wilco + My Morning Jacket
Social Distortion
Both Shout Out Louds shows
Nine Inch Nails
Depeche Mode
Broken Social Scene
Arcade Fire + Wolf Parade
I Will Never Understand...Or Like
1. Antony & the Johnsons
2. Coco Rosie
3. People under the age of 20 who like Motley Crue
Fiona Mak: Airworks, Friday 10am – Noon
1. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
2. In The Reins (Iron & Wine/Calexico)
3. Broken Social Scene (Broken Social Scene)
4. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
5. The Vertical Struts (The Vertical Struts)
6. Z (My Morning Jacket)
7. Strange Geometry (The Clientele)
8. Infiniheart (Chad Van Gaalen)
9. The Milk Of Human Kindness (Caribou)
10. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
Trevor Kiernander: Ones and Zeroes, Monday 10am – Noon
Albums
1. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
2. The Dancing Box (James T. Cotton)*
3. Multiply (Jamie Lidell)
4. New World Observer (Deadbeat)
5. DE9 Transitions (Richie Hawtin)
6. Far Away Trains Passing By (Ulrich Schnauss)
7. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
8. Anger Do Not Enter (Beef Terminal)
9. Hangable Auto Bulb (AFX)
10. Backstroke (Matthew Dear)
Tracks
1. "A-Sided" - (Jesse Rose)
2. Bout ready To Jak Remixes (Osborne)*
3. "Sex With The Machines" - (Brett Johnson)
4. "Feel Alright" - (Magik Johnson)
5. "Chromakey Dreamcoat" - (Boards Of Canada)
6. "Nothing Happens In June" - (Ulrich Schnauss)
7. "Lost In Translation" - (Hieroglyphic Being)
8. "Just Fucking" - (Audion)
9. Afrika EP - (Osborne) *
10. Oh Momma [Thomas White remix] - (Da Sunlounge)
* 2004
Cara Ventura: Classified
Albums
1. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
2. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
3. Tender Buttons (Broadcast)
4. Feels (Animal Collective)
5. Robyn (Robyn)
6. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
7. Born To Be A Motorcycle (Bunky)
8. OK Cowboy (Vitalic)
9. Home Sweet Home (Kano)
10. Akron/Family & Angels Of Light (Akron/Family & Angels Of Light)
11. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
12. Days Of Mars (Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom)
13. Demon Days (Gorillaz)
14. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
15. Late Registration (Kanye West)
16. Arular (M.I.A.)
17. Confessions On A Dance Floor (Madonna)
18. Wearemonster (Isolée)
19. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
20. Loose In The Air (The Double)
Gigs
1. Superpitcher @SAT
2. Think About Life @Friendship Cove
3. Final Fantasy @Ottawa Bluesfest
4. Animal Collective + AIDS Wolf @La Sala Rossa
5. M.I.A. + LCD Soundsystem @La Tulipe
Remixes
1. Superpitcher ("The Difference It Makes" - The MFA)
2. The Knife ("Parliament Square" - Stina Nordenstam)
3. Jacques Lu Cont ("Lose Control" - Missy Elliott)
4. Dahlback & Dahlback ("Pass This On" - The Knife)
5. Alan Braxe & Fred Falke ("Number 1" - Goldfrapp)
Gregor Tedford: Digressions, Tuesday 4pm – 6pm
Albums
1. Mutek 05 (Various Artists)
2. Remembranza (Murcof)
3. Born Again: Collected Remixes 1999-2005 (Sutekh)
4. New World Observer (Deadbeat)
5. Eco (Skipsapiens)
6. Humla (Skugge & Stavostrand)
7. Chaos Theory (Amon Tobin)
8. The Four Quarters (Vladislav Delay)
9. Blue Note Trip (Jazzanova)
10. Konfusion (Skalpel)
Gigs
1. aRTIST oF tHE yEAR @Montreal Jazz Festival, July 8th
2. Roots Manuva @La Tulipe, May 6th
3. Prefuse73 @Cabaret, May 8th
4. M83 @Cabaret, April 18th
5. SND + Autechre @Elektra Festival, May 10th
Brennan: The Almighty Riff, Thursday 8pm – 10pm
Albums
1. The Quiet Offspring (Green Carnation)
2. Fused (Iommi)
3. Tyranny Of Souls (Bruce Dickinson)
4. Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
5. Soul Mover (Glenn Hughes)
6. Mafia (Black Label Society)
7. Rapture Of The Deep (Deep Purple)
8. Atomic Soul (Russell Allen)
9. Rosenrot (Rammstein)
10. Earthquake Machine (Supervillain)
Disappointments Of The Year
Angel Of Retribution (Judas Priest)
Touched By The Crimson King (Demons & Wizards)
Best Gig
Judas Priest + Anthrax @Bell Centre, October 12
Best Album Cover/Packaging
Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
Worst Album Cover
All Over You (Ben Jackson Group)
Album That Most Made Me Want To Jam Ice Picks Into My Ears
Ascendancy (Trivium)
Video Of The Year
"Rosenrot" - (Rammstein)
Stephanie Doyle: Twee Time, Monday 5pm – 6pm
1. Capture/Release (The Rakes)
2. Pretty In Black (The Raveonettes)
3. I'm A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
4. Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead)
5. The Campfire Headphase (Boards Of Canada)
6. Aerial (Kate Bush)
7. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
8. The death of Bob Moog in August made me feel really sad
9. Seeing Grant Hart at Casa Del Popolo was moving, and it freaked me out because that guy hasn't aged a day!
10. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Rami The Space Ninja: Morning Milk and Your Snooze Button, Thursday 10am – Noon
Top 5 CDs That I Salvaged That Were Thrown Out Of The Vault
1. No Sense In Waiting (Cerulean)
2. Daisy Spot (Daisy Spot)
3. Heavy Wish (Odiorne)
4. Voices Have Eyes (Eccodek)
5. Hey Sunshine (Drazy Hoops)
Top 5 Dumbest Things Ever
1. Oxygen bars
2. Jews for Jesus
3. The OC
4. Britney's unborn child
5. Scientology
Top 5 Things That Start With "The"
1. The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show
2. The Matrix
3. The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson
4. The Subways
5. The Harp
Josh: The Kids Are So-So, Saturday 10pm – Midnight
1. Vheissu (Thrice)
2. Stop Doing Bad Things (Spitalfield)
3. Discovering The Waterfront (Silverstein)
4. Songs Not To Get Married To (Reggie & the Full Effect)
5. Late Night Conversations (The Forecast)
6. Bayside (Bayside)
7. Good Apollo I Am Burning Star IV, Vol.1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness (Coheed and Cambria)
8. Nightmare Anatomy (Aiden)
9. Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (Gogol Bordello)
10. If You Speak Any Faster (June)
Derek: The Kids Are So-So, Saturday 10pm – Midnight
Bands To Watch In 2006
1. Bosio (WI)
2. Khoura (DC)
3. The Flaming Tsunamis (CT)
4. Trophy Scars (NJ)
5. Aiden (WA)
6. Useless (NJ)
7. Farewell To Arms (CT)
8. Post Break Tragedy (NJ)
9. June (IL)
10. Aviator (KS)
Jordan-na Belle-Isle: Canadian Invasion, Friday 4pm – 6pm
Top Canadian Releases
1. Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides (Death From Above 1979)
Do we really need three versions of "Black History Month"? Yes! Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of this sweaty duo, they put out this excellent remix CD. Their tunes have become even more danceable, if that's possible.
2. Whitey Houston (Whitey Houston)
Not to be confused with DFA 1979, but are just as kick-ass in-your-face in a different, less stylized, more punk-rock kinda way. Hey, West Coast Canada needed a sweaty drum duo too!
3. Wintersleep (Wintersleep)
I can play "Faithful Guide" on repeat for hours, but this whole disk is fantastic. Brooding and moody in the right ways. The bigwigs have been checking these guys out and it's easy to see why
4. Cuff The Duke (Cuff The Duke)
Singing the plight of the common man in beautiful arrangements, Cuff The Duke has brought out an appreciation for quasi-country music I never knew I had. With Hayden's label Hardwood Records now behind them, it will be great to see where this Oshawa-bred band will go.
5. Broken (Luke Doucet)
Breaking up is hard to do. . . unless it inspires you to write a whole album. Luke Doucet needs a big hug and you need to hear this heartfelt, honest album.
6. A-Sides Win: Singles (Sloan)
I loooooooooove these guys, and if anyone merits releasing a best-of, it's Sloan. Get the two-disc version with the DVD of all the videos. Hours of delight for any Sloan fan. Yeeeeeeah!
7. A Secret House Against The World (Buck 65)
Sexe. Cinéma. Politique. More clever quips from the Halifax rapper. En français aussi, to boot!
8. Elevator (Hot Hot Heat)
I've already gotten so much flak for liking this one, but whatever. The perfect album to blast out your car stereo in the summer while singing along at the top of your lungs with your best girlfriends.
9. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
One listen to Tournament Of Hearts, and it brings a warm feeling of familiarity. Bry's rasp is ever-present and their clean-rock anthems give you hope for the everyday.
10. Personnel (The Floor)
What the 80's new wave revival could have been if people left the mascara, band battles and big labels at home.
11. We Win! (Ninja High School)
Hey punk, wanna fight? Never has an album made me want to dance and kick someone's ass at the same time.
12. Has A Good Home (Final Fantasy)
Violins in the Rock section of your local HMV? Yes, it can happen and it can be awesome. Final Fantasy makes the violin cool.
Honourable Mention: Songs In The Key Of Jay (Mary Cobham)
A whole album dedicated to and about Jay Ferguson of Sloan. Yes Mary, we know it's tongue-in-cheek, but it's still kinda creepy. Not close to being good musically, still I'll give you props for putting yourself out there.
Top Canadian Standout Songs Titles
1. "I Got Fucked By Liberty Mutual" - Whitey Houston
Yeah that's right Liberty Mutual, don't you mess with Edmonton electro-pop rock duos. Could easily be replaced by "Enron" or "Paris Hilton."
2. "I Dream In Poutine" - BA Johnson
Greasy fries and melting cheese curds, topped with steamy hot gravy. . .hey, who wouldn't dream in that.
3. "You're Lovely (But You've Got Problems)" - Death From Above 1979
It's always the lovely ones, eh. Sigh.
4. "Handjobs for the Holidays" - Broken Social Scene
Guess what Broken Social Scene really want for Christmas? Ah, the gift that keeps on giving.
5. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" - Pony Up!
For that cute bespectacled nerd in your Math class who can't stop talking about quantum physics.
6. "Nobody Call Me Unless They Want Something" - Shout Out Out Out Out
Let's be honest: nobody just calls to say I love you anymore. They always have some ulterior motive.
7. "Apocalypse Meow" - You Say Party! We Say Die!
Cats versus napalm in the morning? Potential cinematic sequel here!
8. "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" - Stars
Good news for jilted lovers.
9. "Abominable Snow" - Islands
Montreal boys summing up the sentiments of our city come December.
10. "Hair in my Eyes Like a Highland Steer" - Corb Lund
You have to be from Alberta to understand this one.
Chris Bussmann: Retired CJLO Jazz Director
1. At Carnegie Hall (Thelonius Monk/John Coltrane)
2. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
3. Naturally (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings)
4. Jesu (Jesu)
5. The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code (Napalm Death)
6. Kif Kif (Afrodizz)
7. Living Room Sessions Vol.1 (Romi Mayes & the Temporarily Employed)
8. Grandmasters (DJ Muggs vs GZA/Genius)
9. Flashback (Freaky Flow)
10. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
Honourable Mentions
Another Day On Earth (Brian Eno)
Equatorial Stars (Robert Fripp & Brian Eno)
Range Of Motion (Jo Ann Daugherty)
Alex Rabot: No Sleep Till Bedtime, Wednesday 6pm – 8pm
1. Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
Amazing Stoner/Doom/Power-trio Rock, with a hint of Black Metal (mostly in the album art). See my review in the CJLO Magazine!
2. Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural EP (The Psychic Paramount)
Brilliantly all-over-the-place super trippy, fuzzy rock. The record is unfortunately really short, but packed with amazing guitar acrobatics, loads of delay, and drums and bass so blown-out you'd think they were playing IN YOUR BRAIN. Also, the loudest record I own.
3. Hellfire (1349)
Super-complex, incredibly LIVE sounding Norweigan Black Metal. Ends on a heavy dirge that trumps even the most fucked-up and depressing San Francisco bands. The best Black Metal album of the year.
4. Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
Great tunes, super sweet tones and amazing jams. Josh Homme's vocals keeps getting better too. I can listen to it endlessly.
5. Pink (Boris)
Boris' most 'rock' album yet, totally distorted, red-lined and aggressive, with plenty of noise and effects piled on, with all the atmosphere you'd expect, and in the coolest packaging all year.
6. Impaled - Death After Life
An incredibly catchy, fresh take on Carcass' old-school sound. Impaled are obviously having a ton of fun revelling in their gory, splattercore style, and not overthinking anything.
7. Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus
Another amazingly solid record from the band, who always push into new territory but still remain very much Clutch. An excellent collection of songs and jams, especially hot off the heels of the last (also great) record.
8. To Violate the Oblivious (Xasthur )
Perhaps the best record to come out of the whole 'I can't trust anybody so I'll record whole albums by myself and give it a zany name' Black Metal movement! Forget Burzum, this is droney, buzzy, alien, and totally terrifying.
9. I, Monarch (Hate Eternal)
Extremely over-the-top brutal, technical Death metal. Ridiculously fast and pummeling, but still catchy and interesting enough to be enjoyable through and through.
10. Hex: Or, Printing in the Infernal Method (Earth)
This record is Earth's first real full-length since their string of masterpieces for Sub Pop in the early/mid 90's. Totally underwhelming at first, this one gradually ropes you into a strange world of spooky drone, haunting chimes, and a classically American guitar sound.
Omar Goodness: HOOKED ON SONiCS, Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
Albums
1. Before The Dawn Heals Us (M83)
2. Physical City (Cadeaux)
3. Flies The Fields (Shipping News)
4. Vheissu (Thrice)
5. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
6. Be (Common)
7. The Woods (Sleater-Kinney)
8. Suit Yourself (Shelby Lynne)
9. The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw (Pelican)
10. Metal Cares (Picastro)
Top Late Discoveries (2004 edition)
1. Absence (Dalek)
2. Catch For Us The Foxes (Mewithoutyou)
3. American Whip (Joy Zipper)
4. I Am Hollywood (He Is Legend)
5. He Has Technology (WPP)
Louis Rozza: HOOKED ON SONiCS, Tuesday 6pm – 8pm
1. Vheissu (Thrice)
2. Out Of Nothing (Embrace)
3. The Witching Hour (Ladytron)
4. Love Kraft (Super Furry Animals)
5. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
6. Magic Numbers (Magic Numbers)
7. Happiness In Magazines (Graham Coxon)
8. Cold Roses (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals)
9. Throw Down Your Arms (Sinead O'Connor)
10. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
Angelica: BVST, Thursday 6pm – 8pm
II (Cursed)
Black Thunder (Doomriders)
Blessed Black Wings (High On Fire)
First Blush (Tricky Woo)
Hello Master (Priestess)
Horns Up (Maximum RNR)
In The Heat Of The Moment (C'mon)
Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
Nobody's Darlings (Lucero)
Robot Hive/Exodus (Clutch)
Idle Mind Matt: Idle Minds, Sunday 4pm – 6pm
This doesn't represent the rest of the Idle Minds in any way. Also, considering this list, it's hard to believe we're labelled as a punk show... but honestly, the state of punk is pretty rough these day.
Albums
1. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
Pure pop bliss!!! Also contains the best song of the year, "The Bleeding Heart Show"
2. Silent Alarm (Bloc Party)
At first, I dismissed it as sounding like every popular band coming out of the UK these days (Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs etc... etc...), but then I realised it was better than all that... MUCH better. Didn't leave my CD player for a good chunk of the year. Special mention for Silent Alarm Remixed, a remix album almost as good as the original.
3. Illinois (Sufjan Stevens)
I'd give anything to be as musically talented as this guy...
4. Apologies To The Queen Mary (Wolf Parade)
Sorry, I know it's pretty trendy to like these guys. But damn it, it's a good album.
5. The Evens (The Evens)
Ian MacKaye could put out an album of himself coughing for 30 minutes and it would still be good. OK, maybe not, but his guitar-and-drums duo with Amy Farina is pretty damn great. When the hell are they coming to town though?
6. Get Behind Me Satan (the White Stripes)
Not their best album, but even when they're not at their best, it's better than most of the crap out there. "My Doorbell" is up there in my favourite songs of the year.
7. Sieg Howdy! (Jello Biafra & the Melvins)
I guess you can consider this a punk album... my god, there's a punk album on my list! So good to hear Jello singing again. A collection of odds and ends, including a live update of "California Über Alles", that's better than the first Biafra and Melvins album.
8. Suspended Animation (Fantômas)
Mr. Bungle meets Friz Freleng with Dave Lombardo drumming. Joy! Seeing them was also one of my concert highlights of the year.
9. You Could Have It So Much Better (Franz Ferdinand)
Not as good as the first album, but it has really been growing on me lately.
10. If Footmen Tire You (The Bloody Hollies)
Best band name ever. Good album too.
Honourable Mentions
1. Mesmerize/Hypnotize (System Of A Down)
Great music... too bad the lyrics are so bad. Cigaro?!
2. Chaos Theory (Amon Tobin)
Great album and another concert highlight this year. Now if only he'd release that unreal drum 'n bass remix of Slayer's 'Raining Blood" that he finished the show with. Intense!
3. Kicking Television: Live In Chicago (Wilco)
...although I think I prefer the bootleg copy of the June 28th show at the Metropolis
4. Lullabies To Paralyze (Queens Of The Stone Age)
"Little Sister": best use of cowbell of the year.
5. The Now Sound Redesigned (The Free Design)
Interesting idea for an album, and very well-executed. Now they need to take Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Smile, and give it the remix treatment like this.
Dishonourable Mention
I Am A Bird Now (Antony & the Johnsons)
I don't get it. Seriously, can someone explain this to me.
Alex Huynh: Losing My Edge, Tuesday 8pm – 10pm & Sunday 2pm - 4pm
Albums
1. Separation Sunday (The Hold Steady)
2. The Sunset Tree (The Mountain Goats)
3. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Bright Eyes)
4. Twin Cinema (the New Pornographers)
5. Face The Truth (Stephen Malkmus)
6. Tournament Of Hearts (the Constantines)
7. Gimme Fiction (Spoon)
8. Robyn (Robyn)
9. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!)
10. Born To Be A Motorcycle (Bunky)
Reissues/Compilations
1. The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004 (The Fall)
2. Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996
3. One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found
4. Dinosaur/Bug/You're Living All Over Me (Dinosaur Jr)
5. Germ Free Adolescents [Expanded] (X-Ray Spex)
Songs
1. "This Year" - (The Mountain Goats)
2. "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" - (Martha Wainwright)
3. "Oh My Gosh" - (Basement Jaxx)
4. "Ode To L.A." - (the Raveonettes ft Ronnie Spector)
5. "The Bleeding Heart Show" - (the New Pornographers)
6. "My Doorbell" - (the White Stripes)
7. "Since You Caught My Eye" - (Banner Barbados)
8. "Do You Want To" - (Franz Ferdinand)
9. "Clinicly Dead" - (Chad VanGaalen)
10. "Dylan Pt.2" - (Akron/Family)
Remixes
1. The Knife ("Parliament Square" - Stina Nordenstam)
2. Michael Mayer & Tobias Thomas ("Maps" - Ada)
3. Richard X ("Cool" - Gwen Stefani)
Gigs
1. Dinosaur Jr @Festival d'été à Québec, July 16th
2. Broadcast @Cabaret, November 7th
3. Dirtbombs + Deadly Snakes + Sunday Sinners @Cabaret, September 30th
4. Wilco @Metropolis, June 28th
5. The Wedding Present @Cabaret, April 27th
6. Think About Life + Get Hustle @Friendship Cove, October 27th
7. The King Khan & BBQ Show @El Salon, February 5th
8. Moutain Goats @The Old American Can Factory, July 2nd
9. Grant Hart @Casa Del Popolo, August 3rd
10. Wolf Parade @Parc des Amériques, June 18th
Worst Album
Gemstones (Adam Green)
Biggest Disappointment
The Craft (Blackalicious)
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